BENEFITS AND RISKS OF YOUTH WRESTLING

By Kendall Jenkins on 2019-05-10 07:12:00

If you’ve been thinking about your child wrestling and the idea fills you with dread, we’re here to tell you not to worry. It’s true that wrestling contains its fair share of risks, but it’s no riskier than other sports and it also has a lot going for it.

These benefits are even more pronounced for children, especially in a world in which over 20% of US teenagers are obese. Wrestling, like any sport, can help to keep our youth in shape whilst simultaneously teaching them vital life skills, from the ability to follow routines to the ability to hold themselves accountable and to stay strong under pressure.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves, because that’s what this article is all about. And so without further ado, let’s jump on in and take a look at both the risks and the benefits of youth wrestling.

Benefits and Risks of Youth Wrestling

It teaches discipline

One of the major benefits of high school wrestling is that it encourages children to develop a sense of discipline. Training isn’t easy and athletes will need to be self-motivated and willing to follow orders from their trainers. It takes a lot of dedication to join a high school wrestling team, but the discipline it teaches you will stand you in good stead for the rest of your life. The best wrestlers are so disciplined that they rarely need to rely on strength alone, focusing instead on a mixture of intelligence and technique.

It can lead to injuries

A lot of people ask, “Is wrestling dangerous?” The truth is that wrestling is dangerous, but so is walking down the street. Wrestling can lead to injuries, but so can pretty much any sport, and so it all comes down to whether you think it’s worth the risk. Injuries are rare, serious injuries are rarer still, and you can reduce the risk of suffering from one by making sure that you train with a reputable gym and trainer.

It makes you tough

There are no two ways about it: child wrestling gives your kids a full body workout that can help them to build strength across every major muscle group. It also increases their cardiovascular fitness and even their overall endurance, ultimately making them tougher and more resilient. Staying in shape can also help to reduce their chances of heart disease and other illnesses further down the line.

It teaches you self-reliance

When people ask “is wrestling a good sport?”, they’re missing the point. Wrestling is much more than a sport, and while it might be cliché to say that it’s a way of life, it’s certainly true that it instills core skills like a sense of self-reliance in a way that other sports just can’t compete with. Interestingly, wrestling doesn’t just teach self-reliance. It also teaches you how to rely on others as part of a team setting, ultimately putting you in a good place ahead of joining an office environment.

It can lead to scholarships

Getting into wrestling as a youth can eventually lead to you being given a scholarship for the college that you want to attend, and even if it doesn’t, it can show admittance boards that you’re a well-rounded person with a variety of different interests. Let’s face it, when you’re trying to get into college, you need all of the help you can get, from research proposal writing help to a thorough set of interests and experience across a wide variety of different life situations.

There’s a whole community

Social networking has unlocked an unprecedented number of advantages for professional sports fans and amateur athletes. It’s easier than ever before to join communities around the sports that you love, and wrestling is no different. By getting involved in the wrestling community at an early age, your children can make lifelong friends and develop a rewarding interest that will stick with them over time.

Wrestling is super rewarding and a great way to stay in shape and to make friends, but it comes with its fair share of risks, as well as rewards. Getting involved with your high school wrestling team can be a good way to get started and to get an introduction to both the pros and cons of wrestling in a low risk setting.

Wrestling is a lot like any other contact sport, from football to rugby and boxing. There will always be inherent risks to these sports, but for most people, the risks outweigh the rewards. Done right, it can be one of the best decisions you’ll ever make. What’s not to love?

Author Bio

Michael Turner is a former high school wrestler turned scholarship student. After graduating, he continued to wrestle in local leagues while finding work as a writer. He currently works as a freelancer, specializing in writing about sports for EduBirdie.

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